It will take you to Victor. From Victor, you can continue to Cripple Creek, another 19th-century mining camp.
Today, Cripple Creek has a lot of gambling establishments that use slots, poker and blackjack, as well as small present stores. To go back to Colorado Springs, take Colorado 67 north to Divide, then U.S.
Southwest of Colorado Springs, in a remote area in the Wet Mountains of San Isabel National Forest, is a kooky stone-and-iron castle that's been under construction since 1969. Jim Bishop started constructing it 10 years after he 'd purchased a small tract for $450 at the age of 15. Visitors' contributions to a 501( c) 3 non-profit called the Bishop Castle Non-profit Charitable Foundation for New-born Heart Surgery money the ongoing job.
To get to Bishop's Castle from Colorado Springs, take Highway 115 south to Florence, turn left at the first traffic light onto Highway 67, then best onto Highway 96 in Wetmore. Turn left onto Highway 165 and go 12 miles. The castle is massive you can't miss it. After your check out, double back on Highway 165 and turn left on Highway 96 and go Westcliffe.
Then follow Colorado 69 south towards Gardner, but prior to you arrive, turn right at the indication for Red Wing. Prior to you get to Red Wing, try to find a small green sign for Pass Creek and turn left onto this roadway. It is a remarkably smooth unpaved road that will take you to La Veta Pass.
This pass that the residents use will slash off about an hour and a half from having to go southeast to Walsenberg to get to the San Luis Valley. The tallest dune in all of North America are here in the San Luis Valley. Scientists think the dunes were developed less than 440,000 years back by winds that blew sand deposits from the Rio Grande River to the western base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
The dunes are open to the general public all year, 24/7. The park uses a lodge and cabins, which are readily available in the spring through the middle of October. There's a little corner store and a dining establishment, which is open for breakfast, lunch and supper during the summertime traveler season. When my bro and I were there in early October, it was just open for breakfast.
If you do not go throughout the summer season, you may desire to bring your own food. The lodge staff suggested that we not venture on foot from the lodge in the dark since black bears live in the area. Information and appointments: Great Sand Dunes Lodge, 719-378-2900; www.gsdlodge.com The next early morning, my brother and I dined on tasty pancakes and huevos rancheros at the restaurant, and our friendly server was the 3rd regional to suggest that we take time to see the close-by waterfalls prior to we continued our travels north through the San Luis Valley.
The tracks are extremely tiny and shallow and even a light wind will blow them away. The dunes were my favorite part of the whole trip. After walking on the ridges of the dunes, we headed 10 miles south on Highway 150 and managed onto the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
This road is high and rough, and we discussed whether or not seeing the falls deserved all this trouble. We lastly reached a parking lot. From there, it was a quarter-mile walking up a rough and high path to a stream, which we needed to cross 5 times to reach the falls inside a narrow crevasse.
Care: The rocks are slick, and residents said the stream can be quick and deep during early summer. On our drive below the falls, I asked my sibling to stop so I could learn what individuals were doing on the side of the road. I approached a woman and presented myself.
Archeleta informed me that the trees only produce nuts every 5 or 6 years. The nuts need to be toasted before using in a variety of meals. The next stop on our experience was 47 miles away. We took Colorado 150 North, then Lane 6 West, then Colorado 17 North. The indication warns: "No trespassing.
The key is to supply them with geothermal water that remains at a comfortable 87 degrees. Supplying alligators to many zoos throughout the country, Colorado Gators Reptile Park includes bit, medium-size, big and extra-large gators, sorted by size so they don't eat each other. It also has 5 albino alligators (we were informed there were only about 50 in captivity). Colorado Gators Reptile Park also uses a class in alligator wrestling.
It's just a couple of miles north of the Colorado Gators Reptile Park on the west side of Highway 17. Owner Judy Messoline declares that numerous psychics have actually felt the existence of a pair of vortexes that operate as portals into parallel universes. The Vortex Garden is undoubtedly an unusual place, with sunglasses, empty bottles, watches and bracelets, beaded pendants, silk flowers, combs, religious signs and other things.
We encourage visitors to leave something in The Garden to get their energy there as well. PLEASE do not move or remove anything in The Garden bad, bad Karma if you do." Information: 719-378-2296; www.ufowatchtower.com. To return to Colorado Springs, go north on Highway 17 and turn east on to Highway 285 to Salida.
50 East, which is a very scenic path along with the Arkansas River amid high canyon walls. Driving through these canyons in addition to through the aspen-covered mountains on the Gold Camp Road were my brother's preferred parts of our trip. When you reach Penrose, take Colorado 115 back to Colorado Springs.
These amazing rock formations are a popular location for photographers, hikers, rock climbers and bird watchers. Spend the early morning exploring The Kissing Camels (a formation that resembles 2 camels), The 3 Graces, the Cathedral Spires in the Cathedral Valley and Balanced Rock. Info: 719-634-6666; www.gardenofgods.com. You've most likely heard of Cheyenne Mountain, the former website of NORAD (The United States Northern Command, and the Air Force Space Command).
On another part of the mountain, above the surface, is the home of many unique animals. At an elevation of 6,800 feet above water level, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only zoo in the United States on a mountain. It's southwest of Colorado Springs, above the Broadmoor resort, which you can see from the zoo.
It's best known for its giraffe herd. The zoo currently has 18 giraffes, and its reproducing program is the most effective in the world, with 199 births because 1954. The giraffes are permitted outside when the temperature level is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. For a couple bucks, you can purchase a handful of lettuce to feed the giraffes and get a close encounter with their sweet and curious characters along with their 20-inch, dark purple tongues.
24 East, then turn south on 21st Street. Follow indications to the zoo. Information: 719-633-9925; www.cmzoo.org.
Consider this four-day itinerary as merely a tasting of remarkable sites southern Colorado has to offer. My bro and I are currently making strategies for next year's roadway adventure that consists of a see to the amazing cliff homes at Mesa Verde National Forest.
